Fatal Fight
by MoonKitii
Summary: With the end comes a new beginning. As they lay on the battlefield, their eyes on their fallen enemy, they relize the fate that awaits them, and take the chance to tell convey their feelings. Inuyasha and Kagome. OneShot, Death Complete.


Fatal Fight

One-Shot

Shivers raced down their bodies as they watched the flashing lights die. The weather was as formidable as their opponent, the vicious gusts picking up from time to time, causing them to falter in their steps. Though none of them admitted it, each was surprised in their victory.

It had taken the combined strengths of each to bring down the evil hanyou, Naraku, who had tainted their lives for far too long. While his death was to be celebrated greatly by the people of Sengoku Jidai, each of the warriors knew that they would not be joining in the festivities.

Their wounds were numerous, leaving each hanging on the brink between this world and the next.

"We've…done it. We've finally killed him," whispered Kagome, falling to her knees.

Her hair was a tangled mess, matted with pieces of nature that both the wind and Naraku's attacks had blown her way. The clothes she wore, not fitting of the time period, were torn and bloody, just as her body was. Though she didn't show it, the pain was enormous. Just above the waist of her skirt was a gash, now bleeding profusely and undoubtedly dirtied with foreign microbes. She'd taken a tentacle through her abdomen just as she'd shot off an arrow, delivering the final blow.

Beside her stood Inuyasha, his sword Tessusaiga in his right hand, his left hand grabbing his side. He too, was injured, and his vision had begun to blur. The red cloth of the fire rat that he was clad in was ripped nearly to shreds, the haori hanging off one shoulder, and the hakamas in just as bad a shape.

He spoke up, mirroring Kagome's words. "It's finally over. We've beaten the bastard."

The two looked towards their friends. Their compatriots, their comrades, their brethren. Their lifeless bodies lie on the ground, holding each other as if it would keep them together forever. Miroku's cloth-covered hand held Sango's, their fingers intertwined in a lasting embrace. Each had fought heroically, giving every ounce of power that their human bodies had possessed. Kagome and Inuyasha could tell that the lovers had died together, holding each other as they passed from this world into the next.

A tear streaked Kagome's face, and though she knew that they had died with each other, it still made her utterly sad that after all of their work, none of them would be able to experience the rewards.

She could feel the gray creeping around the edges of her vision, and she knew it wouldn't be long.

"Inuyasha," she said. "I…" Her voice faded, and she fell face first onto the ground, her body becoming too weak to support her any longer.

"Kagome," Inuyasha cried weakly, lying beside her. He shifted onto his back, and moved her so that she was against his side, held in one of his arms.

She gave a smile, comforted by the fact that Inuyasha would be with her to the end. "I guess I've…fulfilled my promise," she stated.

At his confused look, she explained.

"I told you that I'd be with you to the end. And we both know that we've gone as far as we can go. I guess we've used up all of our lives, huh?"

"You're wrong."

It was Kagome's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, staring into his eyes, amber pools that made her want to forget everything except for him and the comforting presence he wrapped around her.

"You said you'd always be with me. Not just till the end, wench."

She smiled. "You never give up, do you? Baka," she said lovingly.

The wind shifted direction, bringing with it the smell of the blooming sakura trees, and the absence of miasma. The storm clouds began to roll from the skies, revealing a clear blue slate, accented by the shine of a cloud peeking from behind the sun.

"Keh. Why would I change? I shouldn't have to," Inuyasha told her.

She nodded her head in agreement. "I know. I wouldn't want you any other way. I…love you the way you…" her voice faded off, and a grimace took over her face. "It hurts, Inuyasha. I just wish…I just wish I could tell my family I love them…one last time."

"I know," he whispered, his voice husky with emotion. "I'm sorry; I should have protected you better." She shook her head. "No, Inuyasha. You did everything you could, for all of us. It took everything we had to kill Naraku. That's all I could ever ask."

This time it was him who grunted in pain. His hand clutched his chest this time, the wound through his heart that he had sustained to protect Kagome.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that we don't have much time left, but…I need to tell you…Just in case we never see each other on the other side," Kagome began. Her breathing was becoming shallow, and they both knew that the end was near. "I love you Inuyasha. Ever since I fell through the well and saw you pinned to that tree…You stole my heart."

Inuyasha struggled to keep the tears from falling. Why had fate been so cruel? He finally had all he wanted, and death was standing on his doorstep.

"Kagome…I…wish I'd told you sooner. You're my everything. You're the one who freed me. And not just from Goshinboku. You let me open up, and be who I am. You weren't afraid of me, you didn't revile me, as other had. You liked me for who I was. And I…love you. I guess I never really realized it until now. I couldn't live without you. And I wouldn't want to."

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes, threatening to spill over. Though she tried desperately to keep them from falling, it was to no avail.

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand in his own, feeling her sadness and knowing it as his own. His fingers intertwined with hers, and they clenched each other tightly.

"You kept me sane, Kagome. Even when I transformed into a demon, you didn't run away. You stayed by my side, just like you promised. I wish…I wish that I hadn't been such a baka to you."

Kagome smiled again, squeezing his hand tighter as another wave of pain swept through her. "No, Inuyasha. I love you as a baka. It's who you are, and I love you that way."

"Kagome, I…" Inuyasha trailed off, not knowing what to say. The words formed on his tongue, and he knew he had to say them before it was too late.

"I love you, Kagome. I think I always have."

Tears formed in his eyes, and he knew it would be futile to hold them back. They had come so far together, and now they would not get the chance to live out the lives they had fought for.

It was as if Kagome read his mind. "I wish we'd had the chance to be together. I wish…that I could have…had your children."

Inuyasha felt the tears roll down his face as he listened to Kagome's voice fade even more.

"You would have bee a great mother, Kagome. Promise me something?" he asked her, knowing the end was close.

"Anything."

"Promise you'll find me on the other side. Promise that we'll be with each other…always."

Kagome nodded. "Yes. Always."

Inuyasha summoned the little strength he had left and leaned over, kissing his love, knowing it would be their last chance…in this life.

"I love you," she whispered.

He could sense her life force leaving her, slipping from her and leaving the shell that was her body.

Inuyasha took a last look around, knowing he would follow closely behind. The clouds had mostly disappeared, leaving the sunny skies behind with no trace of a disturbance in the air. The sun shone, the wind blew lightly, and the world seemed at peace once again.

The last thing he saw were their hands, intertwined, bound together, held fast and strong. He hoped it was a sign of all the things to come.

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_**Author's note: I've had this fic written and posted on my MediaMiner account for some time and have just never thought to have posted it here on . I wrote it almost 3 years ago, and haven't updated it since the original posting date on Jan 25, 2006. You can find me on MM as MaroonTemper if you want **__****_


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